How a $20 iTunes gift card turned into a $7300 credit card shock

ABOUT four weeks ago in a moment of parental love – and getting myself some peace and quiet – I purchased The Children a $20 Apple iTunes card.

ABOUT four weeks ago in a moment of parental love - and getting myself some peace and quiet - I purchased The Children a $20 Apple iTunes card.

"That's $10 each," I said firmly, as they both nodded their heads sagely.

Ella busied herself with choosing an app while Adam had more pressing things to do, like chase the football about.

When he came back in, shouts of indignation rang through the air. "Ella's only left me $5," he whined.

"Bloody hell," I muttered, admonishing Ella and grabbing the credit card so Adam could have his extra $5.

Just an incident in an otherwise boring, average day.

Little did I know I had created a small snowball that soon would be silently rolling towards us, growing bigger but completely unseen, unheard.

Unbeknownst to me was the importance of removing the credit card details. I really, truly believed you needed to enter a security pin on the back of the credit card to be able to purchase anything.

I was so wrong.

The credit card statement arrived. $7300 spent on Apple iTunes.

I shall have to go on the run, I thought, reality momentarily snatched from my numb, shocked mind as I stared at the statement - live off the grid deep in the heart of the bush foraging for food and makeshift shelter, always on the move.

With shaking hands I Google- searched desperately for a contact (Australian) phone number for Apple iTunes.

By now, I was shaking violently.

Thank goodness for David from Apple iTunes who patiently listened to my squeals of disbelief, my laboured breathing and bouts of hysteria, occasional sobbing and wails, and assured me that all would be corrected.

'Isn't something sweet good for shock?' I thought as I stumbled around the kitchen, before falling prey to a (family-sized) block of Cadbury's.

Within days, luckily David from Apple iTunes kept his hastily made promise to me.

Until I saw the money go back in, I suspected David, confronted suddenly with my hysteria, may have agreed to anything at all, even selling his own mother to get me off the telephone.

Originally published as How a $20 iTunes gift card turned into a $7300 credit card shock